Taare Zameen Par.....Not a kids movie........Movie that understands kids....

Aamir Khan’s directorial venture Taare Zameen Par is the story of a dyslexic boy, Ishaan and his struggle to fit in. On a deeper level, it is the story of all of us, an exploration of our feelings of inadequacy, our fear of failure and the things we do to hide it.

Ishaan (young Darsheel Safary, who deserves every one of the kudos that have come his way) lives a life that’s slightly out of whack. We first meet him as he sits perched by a gutter, carefully transferring tiny fish or perhaps tadpoles into his waterbottle to take home. He’s not just grimy in the usual kid fashion, but downright disgustingly filthy. But as you watch his face shine with excitement and fill with wonder as he captures life in a plastic bottle to admire it from close up, it’s a little hard not to fall in love with him.

Ishaan is charming little devil, up to all sorts of tricks, but study isn’t one of them. And this, we come to understand, is his Fatal Flaw. Everybody’s on his case - from his parents to his fellow students to the kids who live in his apartment building. To add to his misery, he’s not a particularly articulate child even though he feels things deeply; his emotions frequently seethe visibly inside him but can’t quite fight their way out. Not that anybody really cares what he feels - if he can’t express himself, other people have already expressed his feelings for him and the consensus is that he’s a bad lot. But I personally think he is not a normal child who will go to their parents and complain about others being rude to them or had a fight with them....apperently he is one of them who would fight back and never complain....

Early on in the movie, we follow Ishaan through the crowded Mumbai cityscape in the song Mera jahan (My world) that perfectly illustrates the limbo which he inhabits. It is one that has it’s own beauty but exists somewhat removed from the rat race around him. His disconnect from the world, however, is doubled: the adults live in that magical realm that every child fantasizes about but can’t fully grasp, and the kids regard him more as a freakish joke than one of their own. He can’t inhabit either and when he tries, he always comes to grief. It’s no wonder he does so much better in the company of animals but it’s not like he can enter their world either - although he does his best in his own imagination.

Ishaan also suffers in comparison to Yohaan (Sachet Engineer), his elder brother, a Perfect Being, excelling at everything he so much as touches. Typically, this would be the character one loves to hate, just waiting for his comeuppance - but in addition to his other sterling qualities, Yohaan is actually a nice kid, trying to look out for his messed up baby brother. The bond between the brothers is as sweet as it is genuine.

To complete the family picture, there is the housewife mom and the strict dad, neither of whom can figure out where they went wrong the second time around. Mom (Tisca Chopra) desperately loves her sometimes indefensible baby and tries her best to understand where Ishaan is coming from; Dad (Vipin Sharma) loves his little boy too, but believes discipline is the cureall for Ishaan’s problems. And despite his wife’s protests and Ishaan’s palpable misery, he isn’t about to weaken his stand and ruin his son’s life.

Eventually, everything comes to a head and Ishaan is sent off to boarding school to be harassed some more and sink into an almost catatonic state before he’s eventually saved by a substitute art teacher by the name of Ram Nikumbh (Aamir Khan). This is where the story was headed all along - and where it stumbles.

I love the wording of the song when his parents leave from the boarding school....it really touched my heart and made me cry...literally when i hear this song....i tend to become emotional..... Let me quote..



मैं कभी बतलाता नही .......पर मैं अँधेरे से डरता हूँ मैं माँ
यूं तो मैं दिखलाता नही, तेरी परवाह करता हूँ मैं माँ
तुझे सब है पता है ना माँ .......(2) मेरी माँ
भीड़ में यूं ना छोडो मुझे, घर लॉट के भी आना पाउँगा भेजना इतना दूर मुझे को तू
याद भी तुझको औना पाऊं माँ..... क्या इतना बुरा हूँ मैं माँ (2).....मेरी माँ
जभी कभी पापा मुझे जो ज्होर से झुला झुलाते हैं माँ ...
मेरी नज़र धुन्धे तुझे ...सोचु यही तू आके थाम्गी माँ उनसे मैं ये कहना नही ....
पर मैं सेहेम जाता हूँ मैं माँ ......
चेहरे पे आने देता नही दिल ही दिल में घबराता हूँ माँ तुझे सब है पता है ना माँ ....(2) मेरी माँ ...
मैं कभी बतलाता नही पर अँधेरे से डरता हूँ मैं माँ
यूं तो मैं दिखलाता नही .... तेरी परवाह हूँ मैं माँ ..... तुझे सब है पता है ना माँ ....(2) मेरी माँ .....



Ishaan is the antithesis of the Movie Kid, that annoying creature of the perky, saintly disposition whose preconciousness is so sweetly endearing that you walk out of the theater with a fresh cavity in your molars. Ishaan doesn’t have any bits of angelic wisdom to impart (the one time he tries to explain the philosophy behind a bit of poetry, he gets shot down double quick) and he comes across as sullen and withdrawn to most people who meet him. We love him because we’ve met him in his element - in the real world, you’d expect him to grow up and turn into one of those kids that Do Something and I don’t mean that in a good way.

He’s the kid who exasperates you because he demands that extra bit of attention and effort you simply don’t have that day. He’s the kid who can’t tell you what the problem is and makes you guess. He’s the kid who’ll stare at you like he saw you pick your nose with your best suit on, just before you shook hands with your boss.

He makes everyone around him uncomfortable because he reflects their failure - to raise a kid, teach, maintain discipline, impart an idea… except Ram Nikumbh.

When Ram sees Ishaan, he sees a mirror image but instead of fearing for himself, he fears instead for Ishaan’s welfare. This is not only a valid thing for him to do, it’s about bloody time somebody did it. When a nine year old spends his time staring meaningfully into an abyss, it’s time somebody gave a damn.

But bit by bit, starting with Ram’s overlong introduction (Bum Bole - and no, his bum doesn’t actually speak even if it’s mega cute and shakes quite expressively throughout the song) to the very end of the movie, his care and concern for the kids in his charge, especially Ishaan, and his correct diagnosis of Ishaan’s woes, begin to take on alarmingly Messianic tones.

If Ishaan is the very opposite of the Movie Kid, then Ram is an old fashioned movie trope: the Guy Who Knows Better. He’s the preachy do-gooder who’ll come into your house and lecture you for half an hour on things that are none of his business. And instead of kicking him out of the house, you’ll listen gratefully to his spiel because he is Good and Cares and Knows Better.

Ram is, of course, all of these things. (And mighty cute too! This must be my year for liking bad hairstyles: I also thought that other Mr. Khan, dare I speak his name, looked very nice in his Lhasa Apso do.) And yes, he is required to be just this preachy and Public Service Announcement-like as he tells people about the rights of the disabled and explains that dyslexia isn’t the same as being mentally challenged. The story’s clarity depends on it. But the thing is, I don’t really care about Ram and his tortured soul or his compulsions. This is Ishaan’s story; he is the one with whom I’ve forged an emotional bond and everytime he steps out of the frame, I keep waiting for him to come back.

Ditto with the climax - there really was no other way for this movie to have a truly “happy ending” but that painting competition rocked all kinds of moldy cheese and the decision to give everyone from the teachers down a personality transplant at the end of the movie didn’t quite do it for me. Until I saw the final scene of the film, with that smile on Ishaan’s face that Ram has only ever imagined… and everything is worthwhile again.

Just like this movie.

12 days of christmas....

Benezir Bhutto Assassinated

In the short time, thirty people were killed and one unarmed woman was shot dead. Benazir Bhutto, former Prime Minister of Pakistan and a leading candidate in the upcoming polls, was assassinated by an unknown gunman as she left a rally in the city of Rawalpindi.

Bhutto’s husband Asif Ali Zardari and political rival/democratic ally Nawaz Sharif have both blamed the Government - and by extension President Pervez Musharraf - for her murder. Questions are being raised about the breach in her security that allowed the gunman to approach her vehicle, especially when she’d barely escaped a suicide attack mere months before.

Al Qaeda has since claimed “credit“

Bhutto was shot multiple times to the chest, neck and head area as she emerged from the sun roof of her SUV. She was taken to the hospital where the doctors worked on her unconscious body for over half an hour before declaring her dead.

She is the fourth member of her family to die under tragic circumstances - her father Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged by Zia ul Haq, a military dictator; her brother Shahnawaz died mysteriously, perhaps of a drug overdose; and her surviving brother Murtaza was also shot dead outside his house - on the orders of Benazir herself and her husband, allege several family members including his widow.

She is survived by her husband and three children. Benazir Bhutto was 54 years old.

There are many questions facing Pakistan at this moment but in the wake of this assassination and the recently announced ban on Nawaz Sharif contesting the polls, the most obvious and prosaic one is - who will be Prime Minister in January? Shaukat Aziz says he will not run, Sharif can’t, Benazir is dead - who’s left?

Microsoft To Sell Windows For $3

Microsoft is innovating. After trying its hand and failing miserably in the gaming and music player markets with the over-hyped and pathetically performing XBOX 360 console and Zune Player, Microsoft has finally decided its next target. And it has devised a painstaking method to go about it.

So what does a company which already has a billion users try to do? Go for a billion more, of course. Microsoft announced a brand new initiative that will make the company's software and technologies available to the world's most needy users at virtually zilch cost. This, in a bid to raise its worldwide user base from one billion users to two billion users by 2015.

Critics say it's Microsoft's way of competing against Linux. Governments of a number of countries have always been inclined towards the low cost alternative of Linux rather than Windows. And this effort from Microsoft is touted as the software giant's attempt to lure the governments into its own Windows based products. And the price tag? $3 for a Windows Edition!

Microsoft's new initiative has been christened Microsoft Unlimited Potential. Under the Microsoft Unlimited Potential program, Microsoft will offer low-income consumers around the world, a heavily discounted version of Windows XP Starter Edition, Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007, as per this ZDNet report,

The $3 price includes the software license, while backup discs and documentation will cost extra. In order to be eligible, governments must pick up at least half the tab for the PC, though the software can also be used on refurbished computers, which can cost as little as $50, Microsoft said.

These software will be sold to the governments of countries who would then load it on PCs for the students and consumers to use. The distribution of software is strictly through the government, and only to those who are in the bottom 15 percent of the population, financially.

In case you think, this is a part of Bill Gates' philanthropic efforts, it doesn't seem like. "This is a business, not a philanthropic effort," said Microsoft Senior Vice President Orlando Ayala. But with an annual turnover of over $45 billion, this business initiative is not going to affect the bottom line anytime in the near future. If it's not philanthropy, it doesn't seem like it would help their business either. Either Microsoft is just desperate for doing something different, or they have run out of ideas.

And well, don't be surprised if your ration shop starts selling versions of Windows Vista soon.

The NAME thing

Whats there in the "name"?????

The reason to quote the above shakespearean (well as he said what is there in the name!!!!) words....is the video I saw on you tube.

Many Indian people living in the western world have a nick name/alternate name since the western world finds it hard to pronounce their names.

Why do they find it hard? Don't we not learn the pronounciation of their names? Why not they then? Probably westerns have a answer to my above questions.

On the othe hand, people come up with their nicknames/alternate names themselves.

I can understand situations like:

" Hi, I am Dhanalakshmi. People call me Dhana".

" Hi my name is Bharath Kumar. People usally call me Bharath".

But why situations like:

" My name is Pravin. You can call me peter"

Or

" My name is Sammer. You can call me sammy"


Is it an inferiority complex that leads to suggesting nicknames ourselves? Or is one trying to sound western? Or is one changing their name to be accepted in a group?

For example, in the U.S, the number of Indians living is quite a huge sum. Why then do they name their kids "Laya, kris etc.," trying to hide their race? The name wouldn't stand out if it was a usual name like "Krishnakumari or rajalakshmi" considering the huge population of Indians right?

Do the foreign nationals in India, working on an extended period of a couple of months to a few years, change their names from "Renate" to "Rani" or from "Heinrich" to "rishi"?

Update: Just to maintain the gravitas of my post, did not include the following funny video earlier.

Latest movies for free!!

Watch English movies online.......

MOVIES

watch documentaries free!!!!

As usual am here with again some stuff that is free.... Log on and watch free documentaries online....

BOXSWEEPER

Library of great documentaries....

OVGUIDE

Dual boot with linux and windows...Free softwares

Hi everybody,

I was just going through a book on linux and I found out this tutorial/article to install linux on a system with windows already installed on it.

The reason for me to put this article on my blog is that I had a hard time installing linux on an exisiting windows installed disk and I was hesitant on spending money for another disk.

And the best thing about this is that you can install linux on a system that has windows installed on it with all the disk space.... and that too free of cost....No need to buy software like Partition Magic!!!! You can go through a step by step procedure on how we can use the software and I think that is really helpful for a newbie like me.!!!! Isnt that good ???

So why dont you go through this in case you are planning to install linux.

Download Ranish Partition Manager

Dual Boot -- Step by Step

Enjoy and do reply if you like it

Dallas Radio Listeners!!!! Listen to Radio Salaam Namaste 104.9 FM

Listen LIVE...

Just log on to the above link to listen to online radio...Dallas Radio listeners...104.9 FM...Njoy.!!!!

SICKO

"Arise, Awake and stop not till the goal is reached..."

The above words by Swami Vivekananda, one of the most famous and influential spiritual leaders of the philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga, founder of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission.

The above words are for all the millions of Americans, Asians, Africans and people from different countries who have immigrated into the so called "LAND OF OPPORTUNITIES", THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA..

My point in quoting the lines is to invoke/wake the people here in USA (especially those flag waving people who keep on repeating slogans like "greatest country in the world" etc) to fight for getting Common Social Medical Care for all the residents of the country .

I recently finished watching

Michael Moore's Sicko

(it's a great documentary that everyone should see). It's not about the 47 million Americans who don't have health insurance, it's about some of the 250 million who have/had health insurance and in spite of this their lives were ruined. It dispels a lot of the myths espoused by some in America such as long waiting lines inspite of paying higher taxes. It explains why HMOs were established and how their primary purpose is to deny claims. Advancement in these companies is based upon how many claims an employee denies and any claims that are actually paid out are seen as failures. He goes to countries like Canada, England, France and Cuba and talks to citizens of these countries to get their take on their country's health-care system. He also goes to hospitals and emergency rooms in these countries to get the take of the people there and when he ask "How much do you pay?", they all laugh at him. Moore sums up the premise of film when he says the rest of the western world practices "We" health-care while Americans practice "Me" health-care.

This could be a serious wake up call for a proud nation. I have always wondered how people can still call it the greatest country if it does not have universal health care, but maybe the reason is, they don't know any better. They do not realize that in other western countries this has been done for ages and it works.

I personally feel that Michael Moore is one the greatest patriots of America and he proves this by making documentaries like this. He dares to expose the realities against the government and I feel that makes him the real patriot. There are lot of Americans who call themselves real patriots but I find that going against the government and against all odds he portrays the real situation of United States.

Let me tell you the best part of the documentary (this is what I feel)

At the end, Michael Moore accepts that there are lots of anti-Michael Moore websites all over the world. I do not know why Michael Moore is being hated so much!!!
The masterstroke of the film is the revelation that Moore secretly paid the medical bills for the wife of his most strident web critic. It is timed perfectly at the end of the film and is a truly moving moment in the film. Now that is what I mean by a real patriot. I think after analyzing the situation of health care in the United States and lot of other developing and developed countries, he thinks that there should be some sort of common program for health care for all the people of America which is free of cost like other countries like Britain, Canada, France and developing countries like Cuba.

I certainly agree with Michael Moore on this point because we pay the taxes, we keep this country on the top with our hard work and at the end if we are ill or need treatment we have to ask (no not ask…beg!!) these so called health care insurance companies to pay for the treatment we receive, part of which has to be paid by us. They keep making money and they are to decide whether we should get treated or left on the death bed to die!!!!!!!

Michael Moore tries to prove his point with great examples and experiences people had gone through.

"Sicko" Diagnoses a Cure for the Nation

Perhaps the exponents of expediency just haven't met the rescue heroes of September 11 still plagued by debilitating respiratory illnesses, but unable to get the healthcare they need in the country they volunteered to help in our hour of despair.

We say we are proud of the heroes of 9/11 attacks but do we know about what really happened to those who volunteered to help and risked their lives and now they are paying the price to help people..!!!!!

Or the machinist and his newspaper editor wife who had to sell their home and move into a cramped room in their daughter's house when his heart attacks and her cancer caused their medical bills to soar.

Or the woman whose husband died after their insurer refused to authorize a bone marrow transplant from his younger brother because it was "experimental."

Now here, when the insurance company says that this is “experimental”, I would say …. What is sure shot in medical? The doctor gives us treatment upon his assumptions and suppositions, I am also not sure if he is giving the right treatment. He treats us on the experiences he had in his career but he might be treating me for ulcers while I might have malaria!!!!!


Following the screening, Moore put it as simply as possible: the private insurance companies "have to go."


Moore doesn't think the problem is "too much" medical care, or people who want to over utilize the system by spending hours waiting in an Emergency Room. Among the rare gems here is one of Richard Nixon's taped conversations, in the Oval Office with John Ehrlichman on the eve of Nixon's 1971 law promoting managed care. You can rest assured, Ehrlichman promises Nixon, "all the incentives are towards less medical care."

It was so unfortunate for people who do not have money to spent for their treatment and big hospitals leave them unattended and leave them in a condition when they do know where else to go????? Is it fair enough for a hostpital to leave a person whose bone is broken and had unhealed stiches on her head ?

Can you expect this kind of inhumanity in a country like United States? I do not think one can feel proud to be a citizen of a country who has everything that you need in life except free social medical care.

I liked what Michael Moore said " The British saw it for years(during World War II) what we saw for hours on 9/11". Doesn't that signify that we are not residing in one of the best nations of the world. We stay far behind on the 37th position in terms of health care.

Moore's not even afraid of the inevitable complaints about "socialized" medicine. "Back home in America we're socializing lots of things," "Sicko" finds, among them our fire and police service, Social Security checks, and even the library.

I agree these are essential but health care is also one of the most inevitable service that should be included.

It was really ashtonishing for those 50 people who went with him to the place where the 9/11 terrorists are kept. Michael Moore condemns and proves that this is the only place in United States where you have free universal medical care.. and to be there......and who is getting this kind of care???? the ones who try to destroy us???? and the ones who tried to say hundereds of people are themseleves suffering from respiratory problems.

The kind of treatment those 50 people got in Cuba is really worth showing to all the americans so that they realize that they should not feel proud about their country unless they get the free universal health care plan.

Think about countries like France....they work for 35 hours a week. (We work 40 hours a week). They get 5 week sick paid holidays. (We hardly get 2 weeks of sick paid holidays). They also get paid for going on a honeymoon!!!!!! (We loose money to go on a honeymoon :( ...)

No one comes to your home from the government to do laundry for you, to cook dinner for you, help parents to take care of their kids....No body gets a doctor visit you if you are sick in America. If you can have the police come at your home in 3 minutes for your saftey, fire trucks in case you have fire in your house, then why dont the government have a doctor come to your home if you are in serious problems with your health.

Now it would be understandable that if you have health insurance you do not have to worry. But in a nation where you do have to worry even after you are insured thinking that the insurance company might not approve or will not cover the expenses for a particular treatment for so and so reason...Doesnt that sound ridiculuous????

I would love to live in a country where your health is taken care of by the government.

I am not asking the government to get me a maid who will do laundry for me, who will help me take care of my kid. I am just asking the government to take care of my health and for the millions of people who cannot pay for their hospital bills.

Finally a word for all those who read my long article, vote for those who promise a universal health care plan. Help Michael Moore and all those people who are fighting for a universal health care plan against the government. I am not asking you to devote your time in protesting against the government for this benefit but atleast promote and encourage who are doing it for the benefit for the country.


You can watch it here

SICKO


OR


FULL MOVIE

Watch latest Bollywood movies online

One of my favorite sites to watch bollywood movies online....

Watch Latest Movies

Divx Quality Movies

English and Hindi Movies forum

Huge collection of desi serials and Movies

Indian entertainment and news channels live....!!!!! wow

Bucnh of sites that broadcast Indian entertainment channels live...(US timings)
The news channels are simply live...!!! Have a look at it.

www.idesitv.com

www.desilivetv.com

www.bollywoodpromo.com

Searching just got better!!!!!!

Hi everybody,

I am here with again a very good site for all of you guys who want to search for something that google doesnt give good results...

So now this is a chance for you to peep into others saved searches/favorites.... and get the best out of it.

Check it out guys!!!!
I am sure if you dont look you will miss something really interesting stuff which cannot be found on your favorite search engines.

Why dont I give you an example.

Say if you want to search something like the cheap deals on air tickets....now if you search for it on google then you will get a lot of advertisements (which normally are not that attractive (due to their charges)) and a couple of sites where you would go search of flight fares....like orbitz, cheapofare,priceline,hotwire....where u need to go seperately and search...

But here is the interesting thing about delicious......
if you search for "cheap air fares" you will get a list of all the sites which most of the delicious users felt useful and they have bookmarked for their future use. In this particular case you will get a good number of sites which google doesnt show up. I liked the site www.bookingbuddy.com where I could search for a lot of places from a single input. Just give it a shot.... So these are the results of the search which are reviewed by a lot of ppl all over the world and then you are searching from those that are filtered... Isnt that great????

I found it useful and that is the reason I am sharing it with you all.

Hope everybody likes it...Do let me know you suggestions ...

www.delicious.com

Wow..!!!! WWE..Fans....This one is for u...

Live Cricket for free

Again I have some interesting stuff for all the cricket fans who are away from their countries and want to have fun by watching cricket matches live for free on the internet.

The below link takes you to lot of links where you can watch online free cricket matches. The only prerequisite is you should have sopcast downloaded.

http://livecricket.bollym4u.com/

sayan.freehostia.com/cricket.html

Download Bollywood songs for free

Hi everybody,

I have something for each and everybody.

This time I am with a bunch of websites which you would like to go and have a look.. Leave a message if you really appreciate.

The following link allowes you to download songs of new movies from bollywood. The different genres are:

Bollywood
Remix Albums
Pakistani Albums
Punjabi/Bhagra Albums

www.bollym4u.com

www.songs.pk/
Have fun.